They started Scouting in the first grade. Now, ready to enter their sophomore years of high school, two Boy Scouts have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
Derek Younger and Ryan Kennedy, of Oconto Falls Boy Scout Troup 1024, are the 77th and 78th scouts to earn the Eagle rank in the history of Troop 1024. Their names will be added to the Eagle Scout plaque at the Oconto Falls Community Library.
Scoutmaster Jeff Proctor has worked with the boys since first grade.
“I am extremely proud and privileged to have been their leader since they were Tiger Cubs in Cub Scouts, all of the way through the rank of Eagle,” he wrote in an email to the Times Herald. “I am confident that they will continue to be leaders and positive role models in the community for years to come.”
Each received a framed certificate, handshake from the mayor and a round of applause at the City Council meeting on July 14.
Younger, who attends Lena High School, and Kennedy, Oconto Falls High School, both said they plan to stay involved in Scouting by working with younger Scouts.
Kennedy earned his Eagle Scout rank in November. His project involved posting signs on the Oconto River State Trail. At each road intersection, he placed a sign to show what road the trail intersects and the trail’s length in miles. He said the signs are important in the event of an emergency because an individual can give authorities better information regarding their location.
He created the signs with help from Oconto Falls High School tech ed students, who engraved the street names and miles. Kennedy walked the trail with his dad to record the mileage, painted the signs, dug holes for the posts and attached the signs.
Younger also chose to complete an outdoor project for his Eagle Scout badge — dugouts at the ball park at Lena School. Younger played baseball in the Lena youth summer league until he reached the age when there weren’t enough players to field a team. He said the dugouts provide a nice spot to get out of the sun.
Each dugout has a steel frame, blue mesh backing and a sheet metal roof. Inspired by the Lena School colors, he painted the roofs white and the frames blue. For the finishing touches, he constructed and installed wooden benches and spread pea gravel in the dugouts.
